Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Scotland.
afloat and in active circulation as to the proceedings of the parties supposed to be favourable for the sale ofthe charter ; so much so indeed , that nothing short ofthe most prompt and immediate action on the part of the proper officials ivould , in this case , have satisfied the Craft . He disliked the look of coercive measures in enforing the due observance of the laws and regulations of the supreme authority in masonic matters , but when such became necessary in vindication of the principles of the Orderno Master or Warden
, ivould be justified in shrinking from the performance of their official duties , however disagreeable to one ' s feelings these duties might be . In the course of a cursory examination of the books of St . David's which he had that afternoon made , he discovered that a great injustice had been done to William Oliver and other brethren , in receiving their initiation dues and failing to have their names recorded in the books of the Grand Lodge : such an unmasonic and highly
reprehensible mode of conducting the lodge , had of itself exposed St . David ' s to the forfeiture of its charter , independent of any other claim ivhich the Grand Lodge could prefer for possession of the charter now before them . And he mi ght be excused for saying that he had little doubt that from the possibility of similar irregularities existing in other lodges , the Grand Lodge ivould ere long order an official examination of the books of every lodge within their
jurisdiction . Lodge office-bearers , acting on the square had nothing to fear from the most searching scruting of their worlc . He was glad Bro . John Oliver's statement gave him an opportunity of publicly clearing that brother from all participation in the transaction which had been the means of attracting so much public attention . The ivliole case ivould be fully and faithfully reported to the Grand Lodge by the Prov . G . Secretary-, Bro . Wylie , and justice done to the masonic character of every one concerned . In conclusionhe
, ( the Junior G . AVarden ) hoped , —considering the altered and unfavourable aspect of the case , and the ready compliance which Bro . AA m . Oliver had given to tho wishes of Bros . Sloan , Bryan , and John Oliver , in resigning the charter to the Commissioners—that R . AA . M . Brown and the brethren of- St . James's ivould renew the " grip fraternal " to the St . David ' s brethren , and do everything in their power towards the smoothing down of any asperities which
tho late agitation may have fostered . Bro . Bitowx thanked the J . G . AV . for his suggestion ; he would not lose a moment in adopting it ; and suiting the action to the -word , he advanced towards the brothers Oliver , and tendered to them the right hand of fellowship , with a kindly-expressed invitation to the St . David ' s brethren to visit the Lodge of St . James ' s Tarbolton Kilwinning , and renew the friendship formerly existing betwixt the two lodges .
" Within this dear mansion , may wayward contention , Or Avithered envy ne ' er enter ; May secrecy round , be the mystical bound , And brotherly love be the centre . " Bro . Jon-v SIOAX of St . David ' s reciprocated the feelingly expressed sentiments of the respected Master of St . James's Lodge ; and he rejoiced in the happy termination of that day's proceedings . For the result attained , he was sure every one would acknowledge
that they were mainly indebted to the cautious zeal , intelligence , and perseverance displayed by the Junior AA arden of Mother Kilwinning in conducting the case ; he merited the warmest thanks of every Freemason . The special work of the day being thus disposed of the D . Prov . G . M . thanked the R . AV . M . of St . James ' s for the attention he and his AA ' ardens had paid to the personal comfort of the Com - niissioners , and the lodge was shortly after closed in due and ancient form .
( To the Editor of the Ayr Advertiser ) Sin , —Permit me , through the medium of your columns to correct a misapprehension existing in the minds of many brethren and others , regarding the links associating the name of Robert Burns with the Tarbolton Lodges respectively . And first of all it may be premised that there are two lod ges in the village of Tarbolton , viz ., St . James Tarbolton Kilwinning ( No . 135 ) , long
and worthily presided over by its present R . AA . M ., James Brown , Esq ., merchant , and known by the name " Burns ' s Lod" -o ; " and Tarbolton St . David's ( Xo . 174 ) , designated "Burns's Mother Lodge , " whose charter and records have lately been advertised for private sale , by a few of its remnant members resident in Tarbolton—these gentlemen so acting , we fully believe , under the conviction that they had a perfect riht to dispose of the charter in
g the way indicated ; but had they consulted any well-informed Masons properly versed in the usages of the Craft , or had they studied for themselves the laws of the Grand Lodge of Scotland , they would in all likelihood have timeously discovered the error into which they are about to fall , and thus have spared Freemasonry from the reproach ivhich has been cast upon it through their indiscretion .
Scotland.
The lodge St . James was instituted in 1771 , and in 1773 a disruption of its members resulted in the bringing into existence the lodge St . David , both of which lodges continued to work separately and independently of each other until , in 17 S 1 , a reconciliation of the estranged brethren having been brought about , the rival lodges coalesced under St . David ' s charter—that now attempted to be sold ; and in this united lodge was the Poet received into the bosom of the mystic brotherhood . The hopes of the peacemaker
wore in this instance , however , never perfectly realised , for in less than in a year after Burns had been initiated , his " mother lodge " was rent in twain , when he , along with other congenial spirits , re-erected the altar and repaired the dilapidated walls of the Lodge St . James , ivhich ere long became the centre of attraction to the worth and intelligence of the Craft in its more immediate neighbourhood . St . David ' s also held on its way successfullfor a time
y —the sheriff of the county and other influential brethren remaining in connection with it ; and the two lodges paid and received visits of ceremony the one with the other for several years . At length , however , the management of the lodge was shared in by a number of brethren not overly anxious about the dispensation of Masonic light , the adjacent seldom had a candidate , the lodge-room became deserted , and after a prolonged , but with a few honourable
exceptions , an inglorious career under its new board of directors , it was in 1843 declared dormant by the Grand Lodge , from having failed to implement the conditions upon ivhich the charter ivas granted . On the other hand , the lodge St . James , after a career of bright prosperity ( interrupted by an occasional temporary eclipse , to ivhich . even the best conducted lodges are liable ) , is now enjoying green old age , and a world-wide reputation as the lodge whom Scotia ' s Bard delihted to honourand in whose archives
g , are preserved so many interesting memorials of the Poet . St . James is emphatically the Burns Lodge ; its records for several years bear the holograph of Depute Master , Robert Burncss , afterwards changed to Burns , —its "highest badge , " the identical one presented to the lodge by Montgonierio , of Coilsfield , and worn by Burns while " presiding o'er the sons of light , "—its banner that under which in " grand procession " the Poet oft had celebrated the
festival of St . John the Baptist ; and its very name is embalmed hi tbe memory of every one Avho has read the stanzas addressed " with melting heart and brimful eye , " to the brethren of Tarbolton Kilwinning St . James , whom the Poet so endearingly terms " companions of my social joy . " It must be gratifying for Scottish brethren , therefore , to know that under the mastership of Bro . James Brown . Burns Lodge continue to
" ... keep th unerring line , Still rising by the plummet's law ;" and that there is every prospect of the mementoes of the Bard's connection with it being faithfully- preserved and transmitted to many future generations of craftsmen . But although tbe records of the lodge St . David are comparatively worthless as containing any relic of Burns ( only once does his signature appear in the minute-brok ) still it is most desirable that the records of his
, " mother lodge , " and the charter under ivhich he was " raised , " should not be further desecrated for the special benefit of [ a . few entered apprentices , who never had , nor ever can have , absolute power in the disposal of documents belonging to their Masonic superiors . It is very singular , but nevertheless true , that this is not the first time that this unfortunate charter has been in jeopardy ; formany years ago ( if we are rightlinformed ) it was
, y , removed from the charter chest , and all trace of it lost ; it was ultimately recovered , only to receive further indignity , unwittingly , wo ivould charitably suppose , bestowed at tho hands of its custodions . Yours , & c , 1 ) . MI'KIIAY LYON , A + Ayr , June 11 , 1861 . Junior AA arden , Mother Kilwinning .
Australia.
AUSTRALIA .
MELBOURNE , A'lCTORIA . CojfSEClIA-I'IOX 01 ? THE Si - . " CLAIH LODQE OE A ' ICTOIUA . " ( S . C . ) This extraordinary event took place at the Masonic Hall , Elizabeth street , Melbourne , on the 11 th day of April , 18 G 0 , A . L . 5861 . At 7 ' 30 r . At ., about one hundred brethren having assembled the Provincial Grand officers formed a procession in the ante-room , and entered the Hall in duo form . The lodge room having been
properly tyled , the Provincial Grand Lodge was opened in ample form , the R . AA . Prov . G . M ., the Hon . AA illiam Clarke Haines , presiding , assisted by the R . AV . Prov . G . M ., Depute Bro . Professor "Wilson . The usual prayer having been offered up , followed by solemn music , the CXXX 11 I psalm was read , when the R . AV . Prov . G . M . Depute , Bro . Professor Wilson , delivered the following oration . He stated
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Scotland.
afloat and in active circulation as to the proceedings of the parties supposed to be favourable for the sale ofthe charter ; so much so indeed , that nothing short ofthe most prompt and immediate action on the part of the proper officials ivould , in this case , have satisfied the Craft . He disliked the look of coercive measures in enforing the due observance of the laws and regulations of the supreme authority in masonic matters , but when such became necessary in vindication of the principles of the Orderno Master or Warden
, ivould be justified in shrinking from the performance of their official duties , however disagreeable to one ' s feelings these duties might be . In the course of a cursory examination of the books of St . David's which he had that afternoon made , he discovered that a great injustice had been done to William Oliver and other brethren , in receiving their initiation dues and failing to have their names recorded in the books of the Grand Lodge : such an unmasonic and highly
reprehensible mode of conducting the lodge , had of itself exposed St . David ' s to the forfeiture of its charter , independent of any other claim ivhich the Grand Lodge could prefer for possession of the charter now before them . And he mi ght be excused for saying that he had little doubt that from the possibility of similar irregularities existing in other lodges , the Grand Lodge ivould ere long order an official examination of the books of every lodge within their
jurisdiction . Lodge office-bearers , acting on the square had nothing to fear from the most searching scruting of their worlc . He was glad Bro . John Oliver's statement gave him an opportunity of publicly clearing that brother from all participation in the transaction which had been the means of attracting so much public attention . The ivliole case ivould be fully and faithfully reported to the Grand Lodge by the Prov . G . Secretary-, Bro . Wylie , and justice done to the masonic character of every one concerned . In conclusionhe
, ( the Junior G . AVarden ) hoped , —considering the altered and unfavourable aspect of the case , and the ready compliance which Bro . AA m . Oliver had given to tho wishes of Bros . Sloan , Bryan , and John Oliver , in resigning the charter to the Commissioners—that R . AA . M . Brown and the brethren of- St . James's ivould renew the " grip fraternal " to the St . David ' s brethren , and do everything in their power towards the smoothing down of any asperities which
tho late agitation may have fostered . Bro . Bitowx thanked the J . G . AV . for his suggestion ; he would not lose a moment in adopting it ; and suiting the action to the -word , he advanced towards the brothers Oliver , and tendered to them the right hand of fellowship , with a kindly-expressed invitation to the St . David ' s brethren to visit the Lodge of St . James ' s Tarbolton Kilwinning , and renew the friendship formerly existing betwixt the two lodges .
" Within this dear mansion , may wayward contention , Or Avithered envy ne ' er enter ; May secrecy round , be the mystical bound , And brotherly love be the centre . " Bro . Jon-v SIOAX of St . David ' s reciprocated the feelingly expressed sentiments of the respected Master of St . James's Lodge ; and he rejoiced in the happy termination of that day's proceedings . For the result attained , he was sure every one would acknowledge
that they were mainly indebted to the cautious zeal , intelligence , and perseverance displayed by the Junior AA arden of Mother Kilwinning in conducting the case ; he merited the warmest thanks of every Freemason . The special work of the day being thus disposed of the D . Prov . G . M . thanked the R . AV . M . of St . James ' s for the attention he and his AA ' ardens had paid to the personal comfort of the Com - niissioners , and the lodge was shortly after closed in due and ancient form .
( To the Editor of the Ayr Advertiser ) Sin , —Permit me , through the medium of your columns to correct a misapprehension existing in the minds of many brethren and others , regarding the links associating the name of Robert Burns with the Tarbolton Lodges respectively . And first of all it may be premised that there are two lod ges in the village of Tarbolton , viz ., St . James Tarbolton Kilwinning ( No . 135 ) , long
and worthily presided over by its present R . AA . M ., James Brown , Esq ., merchant , and known by the name " Burns ' s Lod" -o ; " and Tarbolton St . David's ( Xo . 174 ) , designated "Burns's Mother Lodge , " whose charter and records have lately been advertised for private sale , by a few of its remnant members resident in Tarbolton—these gentlemen so acting , we fully believe , under the conviction that they had a perfect riht to dispose of the charter in
g the way indicated ; but had they consulted any well-informed Masons properly versed in the usages of the Craft , or had they studied for themselves the laws of the Grand Lodge of Scotland , they would in all likelihood have timeously discovered the error into which they are about to fall , and thus have spared Freemasonry from the reproach ivhich has been cast upon it through their indiscretion .
Scotland.
The lodge St . James was instituted in 1771 , and in 1773 a disruption of its members resulted in the bringing into existence the lodge St . David , both of which lodges continued to work separately and independently of each other until , in 17 S 1 , a reconciliation of the estranged brethren having been brought about , the rival lodges coalesced under St . David ' s charter—that now attempted to be sold ; and in this united lodge was the Poet received into the bosom of the mystic brotherhood . The hopes of the peacemaker
wore in this instance , however , never perfectly realised , for in less than in a year after Burns had been initiated , his " mother lodge " was rent in twain , when he , along with other congenial spirits , re-erected the altar and repaired the dilapidated walls of the Lodge St . James , ivhich ere long became the centre of attraction to the worth and intelligence of the Craft in its more immediate neighbourhood . St . David ' s also held on its way successfullfor a time
y —the sheriff of the county and other influential brethren remaining in connection with it ; and the two lodges paid and received visits of ceremony the one with the other for several years . At length , however , the management of the lodge was shared in by a number of brethren not overly anxious about the dispensation of Masonic light , the adjacent seldom had a candidate , the lodge-room became deserted , and after a prolonged , but with a few honourable
exceptions , an inglorious career under its new board of directors , it was in 1843 declared dormant by the Grand Lodge , from having failed to implement the conditions upon ivhich the charter ivas granted . On the other hand , the lodge St . James , after a career of bright prosperity ( interrupted by an occasional temporary eclipse , to ivhich . even the best conducted lodges are liable ) , is now enjoying green old age , and a world-wide reputation as the lodge whom Scotia ' s Bard delihted to honourand in whose archives
g , are preserved so many interesting memorials of the Poet . St . James is emphatically the Burns Lodge ; its records for several years bear the holograph of Depute Master , Robert Burncss , afterwards changed to Burns , —its "highest badge , " the identical one presented to the lodge by Montgonierio , of Coilsfield , and worn by Burns while " presiding o'er the sons of light , "—its banner that under which in " grand procession " the Poet oft had celebrated the
festival of St . John the Baptist ; and its very name is embalmed hi tbe memory of every one Avho has read the stanzas addressed " with melting heart and brimful eye , " to the brethren of Tarbolton Kilwinning St . James , whom the Poet so endearingly terms " companions of my social joy . " It must be gratifying for Scottish brethren , therefore , to know that under the mastership of Bro . James Brown . Burns Lodge continue to
" ... keep th unerring line , Still rising by the plummet's law ;" and that there is every prospect of the mementoes of the Bard's connection with it being faithfully- preserved and transmitted to many future generations of craftsmen . But although tbe records of the lodge St . David are comparatively worthless as containing any relic of Burns ( only once does his signature appear in the minute-brok ) still it is most desirable that the records of his
, " mother lodge , " and the charter under ivhich he was " raised , " should not be further desecrated for the special benefit of [ a . few entered apprentices , who never had , nor ever can have , absolute power in the disposal of documents belonging to their Masonic superiors . It is very singular , but nevertheless true , that this is not the first time that this unfortunate charter has been in jeopardy ; formany years ago ( if we are rightlinformed ) it was
, y , removed from the charter chest , and all trace of it lost ; it was ultimately recovered , only to receive further indignity , unwittingly , wo ivould charitably suppose , bestowed at tho hands of its custodions . Yours , & c , 1 ) . MI'KIIAY LYON , A + Ayr , June 11 , 1861 . Junior AA arden , Mother Kilwinning .
Australia.
AUSTRALIA .
MELBOURNE , A'lCTORIA . CojfSEClIA-I'IOX 01 ? THE Si - . " CLAIH LODQE OE A ' ICTOIUA . " ( S . C . ) This extraordinary event took place at the Masonic Hall , Elizabeth street , Melbourne , on the 11 th day of April , 18 G 0 , A . L . 5861 . At 7 ' 30 r . At ., about one hundred brethren having assembled the Provincial Grand officers formed a procession in the ante-room , and entered the Hall in duo form . The lodge room having been
properly tyled , the Provincial Grand Lodge was opened in ample form , the R . AA . Prov . G . M ., the Hon . AA illiam Clarke Haines , presiding , assisted by the R . AV . Prov . G . M ., Depute Bro . Professor "Wilson . The usual prayer having been offered up , followed by solemn music , the CXXX 11 I psalm was read , when the R . AV . Prov . G . M . Depute , Bro . Professor Wilson , delivered the following oration . He stated